Prison Camps · Kangwon Province · Kyohwaso
Kyo-hwa-so No. 8, Yongdam (8호 용담 교화소)
Prison (kyohwaso)
Operating (per HRNK)~2,000 estimated prisonersOperated by: Ministry of Social Security
Kyohwaso No. 8 is a long-term correctional prison located near Yongdam in Kangwon Province. Inmates are convicted of economic crimes, unauthorized travel, or cross-border communication, and are subjected to forced labor in agriculture and quarrying under severe nutrition deficits.
System Context & Human Rights Documentation
Correctional re-education facilities (kyohwaso) like Kyo-hwa-so No. 8, Yongdam house individuals sentenced through the formal criminal system for offenses including illegal economic activity, cross-border smuggling, viewing foreign media, or attempting to escape into China. While sentences are nominally for a set number of years, severe malnutrition, physical beatings, and grueling manual labor result in high prisoner mortality rates.